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This and That – 03-02-13

The Problem with Christians Doing the ‘Harlem Shake’ – By examining popular phenomena, rather than clicking and letting them pass us by, we may get some insight into the nature of our culture. Let us take the time to recognize joy, humor, pride, communal spirit, and brokenness reflected in the latest hit video rather than limiting ourselves to the shallow experience of commodification. – Kate Shellnutt

Are Indpendent Baptists Stricter than God? – In Matthew 12, Jesus and his disciples butted heads with the Pharisees over the Pharisee’s interpretation of the sabbath rules. Jesus argued for a looser interpretation than the Pharisees did. In that case, it was obvious that the Pharisees were stricter than God. That isn’t the only time in scripture a group was reprimanded for being stricter than God; Paul chastised the Judaizers (Galatians 2) for insisting that Gentiles be circumcised and follow other jewish customs. In those cases, the Judaizers were stricter than God. – Ryan Hayden

Keep Calm and Carry On – Of course, I am not a cultural transformationalist; but if there are any such reading this blog, I might suggest that now would be a good time for you chaps to start proving me wrong. – Carl Trueman

Why Johnny Cash Still Matters – Cash always seemed to connect. When other Christian celebrities tried to down-play sin and condemnation in favor of upbeat messages about how much better life is with Jesus, Cash sang about the tyranny of guilt and the certainty of coming judgment. An angst-ridden youth culture may not have fully comprehended guilt, but they understood pain. And, somehow, they sensed Cash was for real. – Russell Moore